Give Yourself a Raise: 19 Ways to Make Some Side Cash

Looking to make a bit of side cash this year? The good news is that no matter what your skill set, there is no shortage of ways to make money.

Here are 19 ideas that we have.

1. Freelance

Do you know how to code? Write? Design? Consider freelancing several hours a week. As for where to look, Upwork is a good place to start.

2. Officiate Weddings

If you’re a romantic, what could be cooler than witnessing two people pledge to spend their lives together? In order to officiate weddings, you first need to become ordained, which is a super easy and quick process that can be done online.

If you get good at officiating, you could really make some money. One woman has turned this into a serious side hustle, charging between $300 and $500 per wedding.

3. Create (and Sell) Crafts

Are you creative or artistic? You could create something by hand and sell it on Etsy or at a crafts fair. Some things you could sell: knitted scarves or hats; necklaces and bracelets; or handwritten cards.

4. Write an E-book

If you’re an expert on a certain topic, why not write an e-book about it? You could sell it on your own website or on Amazon.

5. Tutor or Teach

You don’t necessarily have to have extensive knowledge on a topic in order to tutor. Your basic arithmetic or reading skills might be enough to tutor someone who’s struggling in those areas.

At the very least, you could teach your native language—either in-person or on a website like Verbling.

6. Create and Launch an Online Course

Think you know enough about a topic to teach a course on it? Consider creating an online course and putting it on your own website or on an online course website, like Udemy.

7. Babysit

8. Drive for Uber or Lyft

The great thing about driving for a service like Lyft or Uber is that it’s completely on your own schedule. You want to drive for half an hour in the morning and then two hours in the afternoon? Or prefer to sleep all day and drive all night? Great. It’s entirely up to you.

9. Do Odd Jobs

TaskRabbit is a site where people can hire others to do things for them, like general handyman work; moving and packing; or mounting and installation.

10. Dog Walk

If you’re a dog lover, what could be more fun than taking a stroll with dogs? And the icing on the cake? You get paid for it! Check Rover for dog-walking opportunities.

11. Pet Sit

Likewise, if you’re an animal lover, pet-sitting could be a great way to make some side cash. Care.com or PSI are a couple of good places to look for pet-sitting jobs.

12. Rent Out a Room

Got an extra room that you aren’t using in your home? Why not rent it out each month—or even a few days a month—on Airbnb?

13. Rent Out Your Car

If you’ve got a car that’s just sitting around not being used, you could rent it out on Turo or Getaround. Just be sure to talk to your car insurance provider beforehand to make sure they’re okay with this.

14. Test Out Websites & Apps

Via UserTesting, you can test out various websites and apps and…be paid for it! The site pays users $10 for each 20-minute test.

15. Join a Focus Group

Joining focus groups are another easy way to make a chunk of cash; although keep in mind that the ones that pay best are generally in person, not online.

16. Do Translations

Fluent in another language? You could perform translations on Gengo or Unbabel.

17. Do Transcriptions

Or if you’re a fast typer, you could do transcriptions.

18. Cater

If you don’t mind standing on your feet for a long period of time, you could cater. Catering tends to pay much more than normal waiting or waitressing. At the very least, you know what you will be paid upfront.

19. Sell Your Old Things

At least once a year, you should be going through your belongings and getting rid of the things that you no longer use. Hold a garage sale. Or if you have clothes or shoes of higher value, sell them on the fashion app Poshmark.

So there you have it. Truth be told, there are so many more things that you could do to make some side cash…and these are just a few. But hopefully it gives you the inspiration to get out there and utilize your strengths to make some money.